Track-type machines are in widespread use in construction, mining, forestry, and other similar industries. The undercarriage of such track-type machines utilizes track assemblies, rather than wheels, to provide ground-engaging propulsion. Such track assemblies may be preferred in environments where creating sufficient traction is problematic, such as those frequently found in the industries identified above. Specifically, rather than rolling across a work surface on wheels, track-type machines utilize one or more track assemblies that include an endless loop of coupled track links defining outer surfaces, which support ground-engaging track shoes, and inner surfaces that travel about one or more track-engaging elements, such as, drive sprockets, idlers, tensioners, and rollers, for example.
Excavating equipment, including rope shovels, excavators, and the like, can include a plurality of track support rails, often called “sliders,” that support the track assembly along an upper portion of the track assembly's loop around a drive sprocket, or tumbler, and an idler. In its movement along a substantially horizontal path above the ground, the track assembly slides over the supporting track support rails or “sliders” as the track is driven in a loop about the drive sprocket. The components of the track assembly, along with rock and soil that become entrained in the moving track assembly, can subject the sliders to relatively high abrasive wear rates.
Conventionally, the sliders are welded to the track support frame. Accordingly, when a slider is replaced after experiencing excessive wear, the worn slider is cut away from a support frame (such as, by using an arc cutter, for example) and a replacement slider is welded to the frame in its place. The original fabrication of the support frame with integral sliders can be complicated and costly. Furthermore, the replacement of a worn slider that is integral with the support frame is a labor-intensive process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,326 is entitled, “Guide Rail for a Crawler Track,” and is directed to a crawler track guide rail having an upper elongated surface engageable with the shoes of a crawler track, a lower surface engageable with a crawler track support frame, and a foot which extends downward into the frame to transfer load resulting from the engagement of the shoes with the guide rail to the frame. The guide rail has at least one elongated lower surface and may have two elongated lower surfaces which are engageable with the frame. Where there are two elongated surfaces of the guide rail in engagement with the frame, the foot of the guide rail is positioned between the two elongated surfaces. The guide rail has a plurality of fasteners for retaining it on the crawler frame extending through the guide rail and the frame. The fasteners have a selected tolerance fit with the frame, and the foot of the guide rail has a smaller tolerance fit with the frame than that of the fasteners. Thus, the foot fits relatively snugly with the frame to thereby assist with transfer of the load on the guide rail to the frame through the foot rather than through the fastener members.
There is a continued need in the art to provide additional solutions for undercarriages with a track assembly. For example, there is a continued need for a slider for supporting a track assembly which is not only sufficiently strong to support the service loads for which it is intended, but also extremely durable to provide a slider with an extended useful life. Furthermore, there is a continued need for a slider for supporting a track assembly which is easy to replace when its service life has expired.
It will be appreciated that this background description has been created by the inventors to aid the reader, and is not to be taken as an indication that any of the indicated problems were themselves appreciated in the art. While the described principles can, in some respects and embodiments, alleviate the problems inherent in other systems, it will be appreciated that the scope of the protected innovation is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability of any disclosed feature to solve any specific problem noted herein.